Savannah looked at her father, a mixture of hope and trepidation filling her face. Austin’s face still held a combination of distrust and indecision. The girl’s gaze shifted to the kitchen where Debbie spotted a pink paper stuck to the refrigerator with a magnet.
Could the art camp be the key to getting Savannah and her father to agree to do the painting? If there was one thing Sofia taught Debbie about getting what she wanted, it was to use all the weapons at her disposal.
She pulled the flier Jessie had given her from her purse. “Mrs. Winters told me about the art camp at WSU. I’d be happy to pay your tuition for the camp as part of your payment.”
Savannah’s eyes widened. “Partof my payment? That art camp costs a lot of money.”
Debbie gave Savannah a patient smile. “It is a lot, but you’re a talented artist, and talent like yours doesn’t come cheap.” She mentioned the going rate she and Jessie had discussed for artists who did this kind of work, and Savannah’s eyes grew bigger by the second. “In fact, in addition to paying for the art camp, I’d like to offer you a full-ride scholarship to the college of your choice after you graduate next year.”
When Savannah gasped, Austin sat back in his seat with a heavy sigh, shaking his head. He crossed his arms over his chest and pinched his bottom lip.
Debbie thought the prospect of a scholarship for his daughter would please him, but he looked like a thundercloud now. Not only was the distrust still obvious on his face, his scowl now showed distaste.
Was it directed at her personally? Or the fact that she was willing to use her money to get what she wanted?
She looked back at Savannah but watched Austin out of the corner of her eye. “Or I could pay you an hourly wage if you’d rather. If the mural goes well, I may hire you to do some other projects, too.”
Judging by the deep furrow between Austin’s brows, that tactic didn’t help.
Savannah held her dad’s gaze as though they were having a private conversation in their heads.
Debbie resisted the urge to wipe her palms on her slacks again.
Finally, Austin leaned forward again. “I think Savvy and I need some time to discuss your…proposition. Can I get back to you in a day or two?”
Proposition?He made her offer sound like a bad thing.
Debbie’s stomach sank. It wasn’t a “no,” but it may as well be. The animosity on Austin’s face and body language told her he didn’t care for her proposal.
Or maybe he just doesn’t like me.
The lightness she’d felt this afternoon at the school dissipated, replaced by a heaviness that enveloped her whole body.
“I understand.” She gave a curt nod then pressed her lips together as she pulled a small notepad from her purse and wrote her name and cell number. Ripping out the page, she dropped it on the coffee table before standing. “I look forward to hearing from you.”
Austin sprang to his feet. “I’ll walk you out.”
Debbie flinched. Was he waiting to get her outside to tell her what she could do with her job offer?
* * *
Austin wasn’tsure why he offered to walk Debbie to her car other than the pretty redhead both confused and intrigued him.
She said she’d been approved to be a foster parent, so she must like kids, but in his experience, wealthy people had little tolerance for children. Why was she so adamant Savvy needed to be the one to paint her mural?
The waning sunlight glinted off Debbie’s deep red locks, and he shoved his hands into his pockets to keep from reaching out and tangling his fingers up in her curls.
“I see you bought an SUV,” he said to distract himself from her hair. His gaze roamed over the gleaming white Cadillac Escalade. Talk about one heck of a family car. How many children did she anticipate fostering?
Of course she had to buy the most expensive SUV out there. Only the biggest and best were good enough for people with money like she had. He still couldn’t believe she’d offered his daughter a full-ride scholarship. Austin still didn’t want to think about Savannah going off to college soon.
“Yeah, my brother Scott is a mechanic. He helped me find a good used one. He wouldn’t let me buy new.”
At least someone in her family has some sense. The SUV may be used, but he doubted it had more than twenty thousand miles on it.
Austin grinned. “Trying to keep you from being impulsive, huh?”
“Something like that.” Debbie laughed. A light musical sound that made Austin’s stomach do a nosedive.
